Following recent conferences in Hamburg and Vienna, some of you will
undoubtedly have asked themselves “... where is Pforzheim?” But you
have made your way here and we are delighted to see you. Pforzheim,
at the periphery of the Black Forest is not only known as the home of
German goldsmith artisans (approximately 80% of jewellery made in
Germany is exported from here). It is also home to a university, where
market research has a prominent place, and where the next generation of
researchers is trained. A large variety of market researchers have studied
here. The concept of Market and Communication Research is unique in
Germany. The symbiosis of theory and practice is essential at Pforzheim University. This dualism is also reflected in the structure of GOR
conferences. Online Research has gained in importance and momentum in recent years. The increased frequency of accessing and utilising
data online is the a process that has been growing since the middle of
the 90s. This holds also true for the variety of innovative applications
and methods originating from the Association of Online Researchers.
This development is taking place against the background of the continued importance and growth of the internet in the modern information
society and the resulting consequences for groups and individuals.
These topics extend beyond the borders of German-speaking countries.
Acknowledging this trend, English, first used in 2009, will again be conference language.
Here in Pforzheim, you can look forward to a comprehensive program of
two days, containing individual contributions and presentations from
the wide spectrum of online research. Another novelty for the conference is the introduction of a three track, parallel, coherent presentation:
Track 1 Online Research Methodology and Internet Surveys
Track 2 Applied Online Market Research
Track 3 Internet, Communication, and Society
Within the framework of the conference, we will for the third time confer
the award for the “Best Practice in Commercial Online Market Research”.
The “Best Research Thesis Award”, sponsored for the second time by
the German Society for Online Research, has already been conferred. In
the evening of the first conference day, the now well-established, fun
event, the legendary GOR party will take place in the Como Club.
Olaf Wenzel
Applied Research Data Science Digital Methods Online Research Survey Research